It is Christmas Eve. The daughter of the mayor of Nuremberg receives as a gift from Uncle Drosselmeyer, her godfather, a very particular object; a nutcracker in the form of a soldier. During the night, when the little girl goes downstairs to check on her gift, she finds that the Christmas tree has disappeared and in the living room are six huge rats, led by their king. In that moment, the nutcracker comes to life to defend the young girl, revealing himself to be prince Nathanael, the victim of a spell...
Based on the sources used by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for his Nutcracker – the story by Alexandre Dumas and that of E. T. A. Hoffman, the puppet show is inspired by the ballet concept by Jean Georges Noverre, who used the form of pantomime, gesture and choreography as a narrative and expressive language. The spectator is accompanied by a number of captions that highlight the dramatic moments of action, creating an atmosphere of storytelling and the tales whispered by parents to their children at bedtime. The warmth of home, the intimacy of the night before Christmas, the wonder of the presents, night-time dreams and nightmares, as well as the wonder of a fantastic voyage, all come together to create the setting for the marionettes and figure puppets to express their full potential in a kaleidoscope of visions that touch on the most hidden sensations that everyone holds inside in their memories of childhood and in the magic that this special night has created for each and every one of us.